20 Common Mistakes New Players Make in Don’t Starve Together

Don’t Starve Together is a punishing game where small mistakes can lead to an untimely death. Many new players struggle with mechanics that experienced survivors take for granted. Here are 20 of the most common mistakes beginners make—and how to avoid them.

1. Ignoring Armor or Choosing Ineffective Armor

Many new players never craft armor or wear the wrong kind, such as sanity-restoring gear or thermal items. Almost all damage in the game is physical, including hits from shadow creatures and attacks in darkness.

Fix: Always craft a Football Helmet (1 Pig Skin + 1 Rope) as soon as possible. It provides 80% damage reduction and occupies the head slot, which has limited alternative uses. Avoid Log Suits or Grass Suits, as they take up the chest slot, which is better reserved for backpacks or amulets.

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2. Wasting Resources on Thermal Gear

Many beginners craft Catcoon Caps, Beefalo Hats, or Puffy Vests for insulation. These are inefficient early-game investments.

Fix: A Thermal Stone + burning trees is enough for warmth in winter. Max out your Thermal Stone’s heat before leaving the fire and monitor your screen edges for overheating rather than relying on color changes.

3. Using Weak Weapons

Food is not the biggest survival concern—monsters are. Many new players rely on Spears (34 damage), which are inefficient.

Fix: Make a Ham Bat (59.5 damage, infinite durability until spoiled). It requires:

2 Twigs
1 Pig Skin
2 Big Meat (easily obtained from Werepigs or Koalefants)

4. Building Farms

Farms are slow, costly, and inefficient compared to other food sources. Even the strongest crop, Dragonfruit, is a tedious investment.

Fix: Instead of farming, rely on Berry Bushes, Cactus, and Pierogi (2 Monster Meat + 2 Cactus = great healing and hunger). If you insist on Dragon Pies, focus on Bird Cages to get more seeds faster.

5. Settling a Base Too Early

Building a base too soon locks you into a poor location before fully exploring the world.

Fix: Explore first. Locate key resources like the Pig King, Bee Queen biome, and wormhole networks before settling down.

6. Clicking Instead of Using Hotkeys (PC-Only)

New players tend to manually click everything, slowing down actions.

Fix:

Spacebar: Picks up nearby items
F: Attacks nearby enemies
Ctrl + F: Attacks any nearby mob (even neutral ones)
Alt + F: Attacks all mobs (including allies)

7. Avoiding Combat

Fighting is a necessary survival skill, and relying on neutral mobs like Beefalo to fight for you isn’t always ideal.

Fix: Learn basic kiting (hit and dodge patterns). Use weapons and armor to eliminate threats efficiently.

8. Avoiding Sanity-Lowering Items

Sanity is not as dangerous as new players believe. Some of the strongest items (e.g., Dark Sword, Blue Mushrooms) lower sanity but provide huge advantages.

Fix: Stay insane on purpose if you’re prepared to fight Shadow Creatures for Nightmare Fuel and access powerful magic items.

9. Leaving Screen Shake and Lag Compensation On

Both settings hinder gameplay.

Fix: Disable these under Settings → Options:

Turn off Screen Shake to avoid distractions during giant fights.
Disable Lag Compensation to improve attack accuracy.

10. Relying on Mods for Basic Mechanics

Using mods to compensate for poor gameplay slows learning.

Fix: Play vanilla until you grasp survival basics. Avoid mods that trivialize difficulty.

11. Avoiding Caves

Many new players fear caves, missing out on lanterns, ruins gear, and powerful weapons.

Fix: Caves contain amazing loot. Grab a Football Helmet, Lantern, and Ham Bat and dive in early.

12. Staying Near Base Too Often

Constantly staying at base wastes valuable time.

Fix: Only return to base to restock. Spend most of your time exploring, gathering, and fighting.

13. Gathering Resources Slowly

Inefficient gathering wastes time.

Fix: Use Pig Houses and Bunny Hutches for quick logs and boards. Prioritize desert tumbleweeds for Twigs, Grass, and Gears.

14. Cooking Blue Mushrooms

Cooking Blue Mushrooms ruins their best effect.

Fix: Eat them raw for 20 health instead of cooked, which only restores sanity.

15. Hoarding Non-Renewable Resources

Many players hoard rare items instead of using them.

Fix: Use early-game Pig Houses and dig up Blue Mushrooms. Late-game farms make them renewable.

16. Using Walls for Protection

Walls are weak, easy to break, and ineffective for defense.

Fix: Use Tooth Traps for base defense instead. Walls are only useful for farming pens.

17. Leaving Useless Structures at Base

Many players keep outdated crafting stations.

Fix: Hammer Science Machines and Presta-hattitators once you upgrade to better crafting stations.

18. Letting Deerclops Escape

Deerclops drops the Eyebrella, a crucial spring survival item.

Fix: Always fight Deerclops for the Eyebrella, which prevents freezing in spring.

19. Staying on the Surface in Summer

Summer destroys bases with wildfires.

Fix: Escape to Caves, where you won’t overheat and can gather valuable loot.

20. Ignoring the Like Button (Humor)

Apparently, some people don’t hit the like button. Can you believe that?

Fix: Click it! Easy peasy!

Final Thoughts

Avoiding these mistakes will drastically increase your survival chances and make Don’t Starve Together much easier. The key is proactivity—gather resources efficiently, prepare for combat early, and don’t be afraid to experiment.

Got any other tips for new players? Let us know in the comments! And if you enjoyed this guide, don’t forget to subscribe for more survival strategies!